


Trouble in Taku

by ncisduckie



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Cat, Earth Nation, Gen, Mischief, Tales of the Four Nations Zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-25 22:50:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21363952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncisduckie/pseuds/ncisduckie
Summary: In Miyuki’s defense, if the Fire Nation didn’t want their camp disturbed, they shouldn’t have left toys laying around.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	Trouble in Taku

**Author's Note:**

> I had the most fun writing this piece because the Miyuki line has always been one of my favorites. Watching everyone create such wonderful work has been amazing! Thanks to the mods for having me!

Taku had been an odd place since the Fire Nation attacked. Though the herbalist at the top of the hill was the only remaining resident of the once populace commerce city, she had many friends. Most were former students who’d enlisted in the Earth Kingdom army as tension continued to fester. But her best friend was one who wiggled her way into staying in Taku when the others left.

Her name was Miyuki.

And yes, she was a cat. Not a cat owl or cat deer. Just a cat. The Herbalist doted on Miyuki as if she was a child instead of a feline. She maintained a strict diet of plum blossom, her favorite herb. Occasionally, she indulged in the fruit or perhaps a flower pancake. However, her preference leaned toward the full bloom above everything else. The Herbalist always made sure she had enough on hand.

Miyuki had it good as far as cats were concerned. Being the companion of Taku’s sole resident afforded her many rights. Including the right of exploration. The herbalist only required her to return in time for dinner and to stay away from the Fire Nation troops occupied outside of Taku’s perimeter. Miyuki obliged if not for the continued availability of plum blossom.

No one needed to know where she explored; it was a secret between her and the deserted walls of Taku. Until one day, curiosity got the best of her. Miyuki skirted a Fire Nation encampment. Quick as a rabaroo and nobody would spot her, that was her motto (if cats could have mottos, that was).

It was easy at first. Nobody suspected a cat to serve as a problem. So, they ignored her bright white coat as she meandered underfoot. They ignored her, in fact, until it was too late. Miyuki found herself enchanted by the levers she’d found tucked inside a magnificently large red tent filled with lots of hiding spaces. Back home, if she pushed the levers just right, she’d be rewarded with a pile of treats for her ingenuity.

When she pushed the levers then, they rewarded her with the shrill blast of the camp’s alarm system.

Nobody ignored Miyuki now.

The camp erupted into chaos. All eyes turned to Miyuki. She meowed, turning her nose up at the attention. All this noise and no treats. A waste. She turned her attention, instead, to the shiny baubles on the opposite end of the tent. They looked like the deodorizing knick-knacks the Herbalist kept around the house when they had particularly smelly shipments. Wonderful toys because they rolled  _ just enough _ to keep her entertained but not enough she couldn’t bat them around. But these were not deodorizing knick-knacks. They were bombs. Really, a squadron of Fire Benders should have been more careful about attacking Miyuki mere inches from the highly explosive weapons. And yet... The tent went up in flames.

Miyuki continued on, escaping the tent without even a singe on her tail. She couldn’t be bothered to react to the explosions or shouts behind her. There were too many things to play with instead.

Take the collection of spears propped up against a different tent. The non-benders not in the first tent didn’t know their assailant was weaving between their feet. To make matters worse, the benders sprinting from the flames aimed at anything that moved too quickly. The ensuing chaos gave Miyuki the perfect cover to investigate the said-spears.

Unfortunately, the spears didn’t meet her expectations. They were too bland. Too... tall. Sticks were absolutely useless to her unless—she stretched, leaning against the precarious group until they clattered to the ground—they were on the ground. The spears clattered to the ground, and the camp went still.

“There!” A voice hollered. All eyes were on her.

She blinked. “Mreaoow?” Though she would have been satisfied left alone to swat at the sticks, there wasn’t time for that now. Playtime was over. Miyuki stepped carefully between the teeth of foot traps laid along the camp’s perimeter. The Herbalist tried using them to capture the gilacorn attacking her herb stash overnight. However, they had quickly learned that — “ _ Yeowch _ !” They quickly learned the only thing foot traps were good for was catching  _ human  _ feet. Human feet like the ones attached to Fire Nation soldiers. The soldiers assumed their goal laid right ahead, getting there proved easier said than done. Those unaffected by the traps quickly faced the wrath of the spears Miyuki knocked over.

It became a race to see who could catch the cat first. And perhaps, if Miyuki wasn’t a smart cat, it would have been over quickly. Except Miyuki was a smart cat, and she knew better than to stay in the place that wanted her skin. So, she did what any self-respecting cat would do: she ran back into the deserted land of Taku.

Taku was kind to Miyuki because she was its friend. The intruding soldiers, however... There were a finite number of sinkholes, oddly placed boulders, and other miscellaneous Earth Bender traps left in the barren land. And yet, the soldiers got trapped in all of them along the way. 

Soldiers fell to Taku’s mercilessness one-by-one until only two remained. Foot soldiers, non-benders, and all-around new recruits. They ran after the white cat until their throats tasted of copper and breathing felt like sandpaper. Miyuki remained beyond their reach the whole time.

She was in the Herbalist’s lap, asleep, by the time the soldiers made their way to her door. They burst in unceremoniously and pointed bony fingers at Mikuyki’s faux-sleeping figure. “That—” The soldier panted, keeling over on the Herbalist’s floor. “That cat!” He shouted. He said nothing else. The trek up the hill did him in.

His partner stepped forward. He barely fared better but had enough energy to clarify his partner’s statement. “That cat set off the alarm at our camp and destroyed it! It’s a menace!”

A ‘menace?’ That was not a phrase used to describe her favorite companion. Usually, words used resembled ‘lovely’ and ‘well-behaved,’ with none of this ‘menace’ nonsense. The Herbalist smiled sweetly. “You mean  _ Miyuki  _ did all that?” She stroked the white cat affectionately. Shaking her head, she looked the soldiers up and down. “You cannot possibly be talking about Miyuki. She would never leave my side, much less destroy a Fire Nation encampment. I assure you, we both enjoy living here and would never threaten that opportunity.”

Looking at each other wearily, the Fire Nation soldiers swallowed hard.  _ But this ‘Miyuki’ looked just like the one they chased _ ! Then again, on closer inspection, this cat in the Herbalist’s lap was free from both scorch and dirt. The cat that wreaked havoc on their camp wouldn’t have made it this far… unscathed. Right? “Uh, sorry, ma’am. We must have... we must have seen… a different cat.”

“Of course you did.”

“R-Right.” The young soldier practically dragged his friend out from the Herbalist’s entryway. Her tone left no room for argument and their troupe commander would have their heads if they alienated the woman. She was the only healer left in the area and she tolerated Fire Nation troops as long as they paid well. This was not a bridge they could afford to burn. “Sorry, uh, sorry for bothering you.”

“I’d suggest water and a nice long nap for exhaustion recovery!” She called after them. After all, she was a healer. If there’s an ailment in front of her, she must fix it. The Herbalist waited minutes after the door closed and she was sure the troops left before speaking again. “Now, Miyuki, what did I tell you about bothering the Fire Nation troops?”

She chuckled, realizing she’d grown obtuse in her old age. Miyuki couldn’t reply.  _ She was a cat, for Agni’s sake _ ! The Herbalist smiled and continued twirling her fingers into Miyuki’s soft coat. “If you’re going to do it again...” her voice dropped to a whisper, “don’t get caught.”

Miyuki purred, snuggling farther into her friend’s lap. She agreed; there was far too much excitement today with all the running and the fire. Next time... next time she’d have to make sure she remained hidden before causing any more trouble. Maybe.

She was a cat, after all. She was allowed to change her mind if she so pleased.


End file.
